The #7 article in Best of CLO 2011 isDreams and Local Heroes by Chad Schneider. Judges praised the honesty and tone of Schneider's chronicle to organize a major FIDE rated tournament, the Rocky FIDE Open in Alburquerque, New Mexico.

Most dreams are built off of memories and this explains most components of the Southern Rocky. We brought in our favorite memories from other tournaments including, hand carved boards and demo boards to showcase the elite players from a tournament such as National Open, a prize fund constructed similar to the Philadelphia Open, two days of separate scholastic tournaments similar to many tournaments in Arizona, and the local hospitality I felt when I attended the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, SD.

Schneider's dream continues into 2012 as the 2nd Southern Rocky FIDE Open will be held from February 23-25, 2012. The event will also feature GM lectures and simuls. Finally, a National title is up for grabs- the 2012 G/15 Championship goes down on February 26, 2012. Find more details on the website and the facebook event page.

I think this article is a little jewel, even if it took me a while to
realize this. It’s easy, in fact, to miss a small gem in a world where
everyone makes a row or tries to be more glittering in order to get
noticed. A moving and catching beginning, a good rhythm, a quantity of
precious information, the clear and genuine goal of sharing an
experience that can be useful to others, hence to chess at large: what
more can you ask for?

Chad Schneider refrains from excess and avoids the pompous, self-celebrating style we all tend to have at times when particularly proud of our achievements. This could be considered the epitome of class: when someone is able – like Chad was in this article -- to share his experiences and successes without being celebrative or over self-concentrated. He’s informative and moderate, but never cold. He actually managed to touch me and keep me involved until the end. I’ve also appreciated the game annotation by Lior Lapid, because he concentrates on the psychological aspects making it both interesting and accessible to beginners or even non-players (for example, parents, class mates, teachers, etc. I think it’s important to be able to communicate to non-chess players, sometimes…)--- Janis Nisii

A dream comes true! The author expressed a dream of attracting international caliber players to his small and remote chess community, hoping to inspire someone. In the spirit of the baseball film Field of Dreams, he built it and they came--two Grandmasters, two International Masters and a young local master. The story reaches its climax when the local player defeats an IM and ties for first! Truly encouraging. Maybe another small club in another state will pick up the concept in the future—Michael Aigner

Another great perspective piece. It takes a village to raise a child … and have a successful chess event! --Jessica Era Prescott

I enjoyed this article because the prose is clear and to the point. The author hits each subject with a steady pace. The tone is warm and engaging; the plot is engaging and builds to a climax.—Galen Pyle

The introduction was interesting and the reference to the trials and tribulations of organizing a strong tournament was welcome. The coverage of the event and the focus on the game that resulted in the unexpected local winner were well done. The inclusion of the list of winners in the article with a link to the rating report crosstable were also good.--- Myron Lieberman